I-80 back open after fire, downed power lines closed freeway in Placer County
Interstate 80 was closed for hours Thursday morning in Placer County after a vehicle struck a power pole, starting a brush fire along the highway.
Both directions of I-80 reopened in the area around 11 a.m., according to Caltrans.
The fire started along the westbound side of I-80 near Highway 193, between the towns of Newcastle and Ophir, the Placer County Sheriff’s Office tweeted just after 7:30 a.m.
The fire was extinguished, Cal Fire said in social media posts shortly before 9:30 a.m., but power lines remained down across both directions of I-80, closing the freeway for about 90 more minutes. No one was injured, Cal Fire said.
Traffic had been stopped both ways on I-80, and a power line was also down and in the roadway on Highway 193, the Sheriff’s Office said. The sheriff’s tweet included a video showing an engulfed power pole burning in a field.
The fire was between 1 and 2 acres and spreading slowly, Cal Fire said. No evacuations were ordered.
Caltrans tweeted earlier in the morning that drivers should expect “major” delays.
This story was originally published October 22, 2020 at 8:00 AM.
